All Systems Are 'Go'--and 'Green'--for UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

All systems are "go"--and "green"--for the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 18. This  "Super Science Day" event, free and family friendly, will showcase 11 museums and collections on campus. 

Volunteers will be wearing green T-shirts featuring a logo or symbol of each of the participating museums. The artwork and design are by Heesun Kim, a UC Davis undergraduate student in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Kim works with research microbiologist Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection

Helping with the event this year are volunteers from the Career Advisors for the UC Davis Sacramento Valley College Corps fellowship program, affiliated with the Office of the Governor.  Senior career advisor John Lee of the Sacramento Valley College Corps/UC Davis Internship and Career Center, told Biodiversity Museum Day officials that "the program focuses on three areas: K-12, Food Insecurities, and Climate Action. Our mission is to allow our students to go into their communities, provide services to members who need it, and make a difference. We have students tutoring at various K-12 schools, working at Food Banks, 350 Sacramento, any many more."

That organization is part of the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, which aims to create debt-free pathways to college while engaging students across the state in solving problems in their communities.

A news release issued Feb. 1 indicated that more than 3000 students will be selected from partner campuses to participate during the 2023-2024 academic year. From the news release: "College Corps is a statewide, paid service program, launched during the 2022-2023 academic year, which provides meaningful work to college students in exchange for serving their community. The program helps participants graduate on time and with less debt while gaining valuable work experience. Students will receive up to $10,000 for completing up to 450 hours of community service."

Interested in purchasing Biodiversity Museum Day t-shirts or hoodies? Following the event, a website (the URL yet to be announced) will be offering them for sale in multiple colors to the public. This is a first-of-its-kind fundraiser for Biodiversity Museum Day. 

The 11 museums or collections featured on Feb. 18 are:  

  • Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, noon to 4 p.m.
  • Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive,  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
  • Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
  • Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Nematode Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 9 am. to 3 p.m..
  • Marine Invertebrate Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building/Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 9 am. to 3 p.m.
  • Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, 12 noon to 4 p.m.
  • Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (See news story

Maps are available online and also will be handed out at the Biodiversity Museum Day, said Tabatha Yang of the Bohart Museum, chair and a co-founder of Biodiversity Museum Day. Visitors can purchase food from assorted food trucks. Those who wish to donate to the event can access this UC Davis crowdfunding page.